Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Sanae Takaichi Becomes Japan’s First Female Prime Minister

Japan may be mired in political uncertainty, but it has reached a historic turning point — the nation gets its first female Prime Minister. Sanae Takaichi, 64, a protégée of the late Shinzo Abe, has become the first woman to lead Japan’s dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Known as a socially conservative right-winger, she now faces the challenge of steering both her party and the nation through turbulent times.

Takaichi, the former Economic Security Minister, confronts a complex political landscape. She must secure cooperation from opposition parties while the LDP seeks to strengthen its coalition with Komeito, a centrist, pacifist party backed by the Buddhist organisation Soka Gakkai. Since 1999, Komeito has partnered with the LDP in coalition governments, often acting as a moderating influence. There are signs that Komeito may withhold or condition support if Takaichi pursues policies too far removed from their platform. She is also seeking to include at least one major centre-right opposition party in her coalition.

Economic issues, particularly rising prices, will be central to her agenda in restoring support for the struggling party. She is also expected to host a high-profile summit with US President Donald Trump during his Asia visit later this month.

In the past, Takaichi has run unsuccessfully for party leadership twice. During former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s first term, she held five ministerial portfolios, including a record-breaking tenure as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications.

Takaichi is known for her conservative views. Aligned with Abe’s economic strategy, or “Abenomics,” she supports stimulating the economy through aggressive spending and loose monetary policy, and has previously criticised the Bank of Japan’s decision to raise interest rates.

Before entering politics, she briefly worked as a TV host, was once a drummer in a heavy metal band, and pursued interests such as scuba diving and car racing. Her beloved Toyota Supra is now displayed in a museum in Nara.

Born in Nara Prefecture in 1961, Takaichi’s father was an office worker and her mother a police officer. Her political ambitions began in the 1980s amid rising US-Japan trade tensions.

Takaichi was first elected to parliament from her hometown in 1993 and joined the LDP in 1996, a party that has dominated postwar Japanese politics. She first contested the LDP leadership in 2021 but was defeated by Fumio Kishida.

She ran again in 2024, leading in the first round but ultimately losing to Shigeru Ishiba. The upcoming October 15 election will mark her third attempt. “My goal is to become the Iron Lady,” she told a group of schoolchildren during her recent campaign.

Her political views are considered hardline. She has long opposed legislation allowing married women to retain their maiden names, arguing it undermines traditional family values, and she has voiced opposition to same-sex marriage. She also supports the imperial family’s male-only line of succession, stating in 2021, “I feel extremely strongly about whether it would be right for our generation to destroy this.”

Takaichi is a wartime revisionist and regularly visits the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals. She has declined to comment on whether she would continue this practice as prime minister.

Her policy agenda is deeply influenced by personal and family experiences, including expanding hospital services focused on women’s health, granting greater recognition to household support workers, and improving care systems for Japan’s ageing population. In recent years, however, she has struck a softer tone. During her campaign, she pledged to make babysitter fees partially tax-deductible and proposed corporate tax incentives for companies offering in-house childcare.

Takaichi’s path to the premiership opened after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation last month during a televised press conference, calling on the LDP to hold an emergency leadership election.

Her rise is closely linked to her long-standing alliance with Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. Both entered the Diet in 1993 and shared the belief that Japan’s pacifist identity had hindered its national spirit. Under Abe, Takaichi held several key cabinet posts, including Minister for Gender Equality in 2006 and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications from 2014 to 2017.

Like Abe, Takaichi is a realist. Her nationalism is accompanied by a conviction that Japan must maintain a military befitting its status as a major economic power. To consolidate her position, she has appointed veteran politician Tarō Aso, former prime minister and finance minister, as LDP Vice President. Aso’s faction brings credibility and institutional stability to her leadership, having previously overseen Abenomics and acted as a key coalition broker.